Plague of the Dead (The Morningstar Strain) by Z. A. Recht
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Book Reviews of Plague of the Dead (The Morningstar Strain)
Book Review: The Plague has come...
Summary: 5 Stars
Plague of the Dead takes another twist with the zombie genre, showing that the zombies can and cannot be dead at the same time. Z.A Recht, author of the new zombie novel Plague of the Dead brings a new twist to the genre.
Beginning with a strange-if not disturbing-email from a scientist in the army, it tells of the inevitable danger that the new and strange plague may bring. While the scientist tries to warn people about it, it doesn't do any good, and that means that people are vulnerable. It hits our home of the United States when a medical examiner turns his back for just one moment.Africa is the center of the action, and if where the plague originated. Fires sprung up from every town, and the dead were attacking and devouring the living . . . And the ones that they killed also got back up to eat the flesh of the living men. The military tries their best to deal with it, but when they find that they can't do anything other than separate Africa from the Israel area, they have to flee. This is where the military steps in to take action.
Recht brings many new things to the genre, especially the exciting way the military works. With scattered traces of emails and government conspiracies hidden in its depths, Plague of the Dead is a different, if not new way of the zombie genre. The main characters are real in the sense of the military, we learn how the military could operate if such an event were to happen, and we learn several different aspects of the military that most people don't know. Recht shares the knowledge of weapons and military strategy in this book, and he does a very, very good job doing this.
Plague of the Dead brings us into a different view of the zombies, with the way that they can be alive at first, then die and come back to life as true zombies. Sprinters and Shamblers are they way Recht describes the zombies, and makes them even more terrifying. One bite infects, two bites doubles the rate, and from there, it goes downhill when the zombie plague hits Africa and spreads into the United States.
Plague of the Dead is another novel that must be picked up if you are a fan of horror and zombie fiction. It's hard to put down, it's exciting, and it leaves you wanting with more of this new way of zombies.
Book Review: The Beginning of a Perfect Zombie Trilogy.
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been hungry for intelligent zombie fiction. So far, I have been pretty unsatisfied. Until now. I just got this book in the mail and I read it cover to cover. Up until this point, I only saw Max Brooks as a standout in this genre. His survival guide was abolutely awesome, and I felt that World War Z was a great appetizer of things to come from him. But the whole time I read that book, I was wanting more. The stories were too short for me. I wanted more. And Z.A. Recht has definitely delivered. Keep an eye on this guy, he's going places.
Reading the book, you can tell that Recht went to a lot of trouble to research details so as to make it more believable than any zombie story I have ever read. His spin on the origins of the plague and it's pathology is superb. His military and weapons details are pretty good as well. As a VERY picky Iraq veteran, I was pleased.
Characters and their development are great as well. I found myself growing a bit fond of the various characters in the book and I am anxious to see how they survive and develop or if they survive at all.
The action is great. I could give examples, but I don't want to ruin anything for anyone. Think of whatever cliche blurb you can think of, but this is the real deal, folks. Intense.
And finally, the plot is great. Plenty of possible side stories I could see developing maybe in the later books and the main plot itself is pretty fresh. I cannot wait to see where it goes.
But the last and most telling thing that was on my mind upon finishing this book was this: Why the hell hasn't a major publisher snagged this guy and his book yet?! Mark my words, people: Z.A. Recht is going places. Do yourselves a favor and pick this book up!
I promise you will not regret it.
Book Review: fresh unique twist to the zombie mythos
Summary: 5 Stars
The Morningstar Strain virus was first seen in Africa and Anna DeMilio of the US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases is the foremost authority on it. Nobody heeded her plea to quarantine every person anywhere who comes down with this illness. Now it is out of control spreading globally, but also when one dies they are reanimated.
Egypt is lost to the reanimated so the United States makes a stand at the Suez Canal, but thousands of carriers break through the front line. Only luck enables Special Forces General Shannon and some of his squad along with a Red Cross volunteer Julie to escape by ship to America where like the rest of the world the virus owns the metropolis areas to include much of suburbia. Anna desperately continues her research hoping to find a miracle elixir while Shannon and his remaining force wonder how to fight an insurgency from within.
This first book in the Morningstar Trilogy contains a fresh unique twist to the zombie mythos with an Ebola like virus that reanimates its dead victims. Z.A. Recht has created characters that seem real especially the medical researcher and the general as neither is used to failure, but that seems to be their common thread at this time. PLAGUE FOR THE DEAD is apocalyptic fiction at its thrilling best.
Harriet Klausner
Book Review: Great book!
Summary: 5 Stars
I found this book very entertaining, some reviewers are complaining about "Stereotypical military/government personnel" well, guess what... ALL military/government personnel are trained the same way! so of course they are going to be "stereotypical". There are some slow spots in the book such as what goes on with Demilios' group, but try to find a book that doesn't have slow spots. The only problem I had with the book was with General Sherman... he seems a little slow to think at times and leans towards being absent-minded once or twice which can be annoying because generals don't get their stars by being either one of those things but i justify it to myself by remembering that fact that he is pushing 60 (at least) and older gents tend to have those problems.
I wish i could give this book 4 and a half stars, the only parts i really could not justify to myself was where rebecca the nurse acts i think out of character by shooting someone (won't spoil it for you) and 1 or 2 other such situations i can't remember off the top of my head.
So to anyone who's a fan of the "shambler" or "sprinter" or both, i highly recommend this book.
P.S.
definition for
stereotype: a simplified and standardized conception or image invested with special meaning and held in common by members of a group.
Book Review: Awesome-Just Plain Awesome
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been waiting for this book for a while now, and was overjoyed to receive it for X-mas. Recht is responsible for a new, doubly-terifying wrinkle in zombie fiction. I've often heard it debated whether the new fast zombies or the classic shambling ones are scarier. Morningstar gives us both! The first stage of infection has the morningstar virus acting like ebola or other fluid-borne bugs, and can be transmitted through various fluid exchanges (ew). The second stage fills the infected with rage and a ravenous apetite for violence, not to mention a veloceraptoresque pack hunting skill. If they die in this stage by any means other than destruction of the Cental Nervous System, they reanimate as classic undead zombies in the virus' thrid stage, at which point they can only be killed by destruction of the CNS.
You see what I mean? Nasty things!
Not only has Recht created what could be the most awful zombies yet, he provides us with engaging characters with largely realistic interactions (few characters are "flat" or anonymous without purpose).
Another thing that makes this book ineresting is that it, like Brooks' World War Z, is set on a global stage, spanning an ocean and two continents.
Go for it. If you like well-executed zombie stories, you'll devour this book.